Within These Pages
by Feran-Sensei
Summary: Girolamo Riario doesn't really have any aspirations. Anything he's ever wanted to be, he's brushed it off, always having been told to do something realistic with his life. So when a mysterious man so different from him shows up at the library he works at one day, Girolamo is perplexed. He has a bad feeling about this man, but somehow he just can't stay away. *Modern AU* Leario
1. Time is a River

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

Over and over and over and over.

 _When does it even end?_

 _Tick. Tock. Tick-_

 _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Bee-_

"Oh shut up already." Reaching out from beneath the warm covers and slamming his open palm down upon the snooze button, Girolamo sighed, rolled over, and stared up at the ceiling. A faint glow of grey sunlight filtered in through the white rice paper blinds, casting dancing shadows upon the hardwood floor of his bedroom. With a sad smile, he quickly threw his sheets to the side, longing for nothing more than a hot cup of espresso macchiato to drown his sorrows.

How many mornings had he spent like this? Too many to count it would seem. The everyday routine of waiting for his alarm to go off was starting to become etched in his skin, from the constant frown lines and the bags beneath his eyes, to the just overall overwhelming sense of exhaustion that was getting harder and harder to obscure.

"Insomnia's a bitch." He groaned as he rubbed his eyes and walked over to the quaint bathroom adjoining his bedroom. Glancing up at the small, well kempt medicine cabinet mirror, it did not surprise him that he looked like a total wreck. His hair was all disheveled and his lack of shaving had left him with some dusty looking stubble. Scratching the side of his face, Girolamo _tsked_.

"Well, whatever." Deciding to just go ahead and get ready for work after taking a piss-despite the fact that he got up two hours too early nowadays and had loads of free time-he walked over to his chest of drawers. Just like everything else in Girolamo's life, each drawer had it's own function. It's own designated use; the top one for socks and underwear, the second down was shirts, then pants, and finally and extra drawer on the bottom, left empty for a number of reasons. The main being that certain critters that he'd want to stay _out_ are known not to be good climbers, so an empty drawer just to be safe.

Always extra steps _just to be safe_. And where had that ever gotten him? Girolamo scoffed, pulling out a white dress shirt with a black tie, a red cardigan, and a pair of khakis, then slipping off his night clothes he grabbed a towel from the closet and hopped into the shower; his outfit neatly laid out on his unmade bed.

The scorching hot water that ran down his back was somewhat soothing, but still, a slight feeling of anxiety played at his insides. No matter how many mornings he would drag himself out of bed and hope for something _more_ , he would always feel more so like the hall clock than anything of importance. Get up, get dressed, work, then while away the rest of a pathetic day stuck trapped in this God forsaken town with nothing more than his own misery to keep him company.

There was once a time, that seems so long forgotten now, that he had hope for his future. He had many things that he would have liked to become. Not that he can remember any of them now. Just like the skin covering his bones, time too wore away at his aspirations, leaving an empty hole that is best filled with a cup of coffee and a mound of books. Knowing that he still had about an hour and a half left to get ready and suddenly feeling too tired to stand, Girolamo sat bare on the bottom of the tub, hanging his head and letting the water flow down his pale back.

"Yes," He muttered slightly, his eyes closed. "Coffee and books. The best remedy..." Girolamo breathed out a content sigh as he slowly dozed off.

Cinnamon masked in lemon. The smells of ink and newspaper pages. Orange peels and a hint of bergamot drowned in an overbearing yet subtle smokey scent. It felt like home. Like a genuine place to put up your feet and relax by the fire. A place where you'd have someone waiting for you to come back to and where you could do the same.

It was something Girolamo never had; something that always taunted him during his minuscule amount of slumber. But this time it felt truly _real._

He opened his eyes to see a place he'd never been; sitting in a chair by a dying flame.

 _The room's a mess._

But he didn't seem to mind much. Pages were scattered about the floor filled with swirling text dancing from page to page that seemed to almost make an image. What surfaces were present were cluttered with pencils and x-acto knives and quills with ink and sketchbooks and just _anything_ imaginable that spoke of _passion._

Girolamo's heart skipped a beat. This place, so filled with curiosity and a lust for knowledge; a longing for something other than what was already here and yet so enlightened and achieved to the point that it had it all. A pang of familiarity rang inside him as he saw himself scattered about the floor; a portrait crafted so perfectly, down to the last detail, upon the discarded parchments that it almost made him sick. And yet, he felt almost unworthy to be in this room filled with the things that he could never have; _everything_ that he would _never_ be.

It was a labyrinth of complexities; a maze within himself that so reflected his desires and yet contrasted so perfectly against everything he's ever done wrong. The flaws that only he ever seemed to see. He closed his eyes, a sudden wave of dizziness crashing over him like a raging typhoon, and he found himself falling. Deeper and deeper into a sea of scorching passions. He tried to swim away, but when he did he was thrust into a frigid abyss of water; drowning in his fears and the struggle against morbid time.

Girolamo gasped as he woke, hitting his bony knees on the faucet as he did so. The bath water was freezing, devoid of all previous heat. Groaning in pain, He quickly turned it off. But just how long had he been in there?

Panicking suddenly and practically throwing himself out of the shower, tripping on the curtain on his way out, he grabbed his towel and ran into his bedroom. Checking the clock on his alarm, his stomach dropped.

"Eleven Forty...Eleven...forty...Eleven..." Frowning in disbelief, an uneasy feeling consumed him. "What the _fuck!?_ How did I even sleep so late!?" Hurriedly drying himself then dropping his towel completely, Girolamo threw on his clothes and ran out the door, keys in hand. Getting in his car and almost forgetting to put on his seat belt, Girolamo tried his best to not go over the speed limit or curse himself hoarse.

"Count Girolamo Riario," A petite girl of small stature stared at him as he walked into the small library almost an hour late. "It's good to see you well...actually, I wouldn't say _well_ but _here_ anyway." She laughed at his pathetic appearance as he went to check himself in for his shift.

"Yeah, good to see you too." He mumbled, quickly finishing signing in practically from muscle memory alone, then gave her a funny look.

"Umm, so yeah. Vanessa," He cleared his throat. "What's with the costume?" The strawberry blonde smirked at him from behind a knight's helmet and winked.

"The story time with the kids, sleepy-head. Don't tell me you've forgotten?" Girolamo smiled.

"No, no. Of course not." He cleared his throat again. Of course he _had_ forgotten. Normally he wouldn't have, but he was in the middle of a mid life crisis here! "Can't forget about the kids."

"Good." She laughed. "Then go! Get on your costume!" He stopped.

"C-costume?" Girolamo frowned, shaking his head lightly. "No, no, no. No need for that. I'm content with just working behind the desk today, thank you." He waved his hands, walking away as if to make sure his refusal got across. However, Vanessa wouldn't give up so easily.

"Oh no you don't!" A pair of hands grabbed his arm from behind, dragging him to a back room in the library.

"The kids from the hospital always look forward to listening to you read." She said, a worried tone to her voice. "You've always read to them before, and you're the reason they look forward to it so much. You've never had a problem before. "

"Well, yes, but I-"

"What's so different about putting on a costume Girolamo?" Vanessa stared at him with confused eyes. "Becoming the characters when you read, looking like you're having fun-and trust me that's a rare sight- It's inspiring. So what's so bad about taking it a step forward?" Girolamo sighed.

"I'm borderline librarian, Vanessa. Not an actor."

"I didn't say you had to act. I just said put on a costume and read. I'm worried, Girolamo. You haven't been yourself lately. So what say you?" A sly smile played at the sides of her mouth. Girolamo frowned, feeling the pretense of a migraine coming on.

"Fine." He said at last; Vanessa laughed. "But don't expect anything _extravagant."_

"Of course, my count." She said, punctuating the title with a bow. Girolamo scoffed, but smiled despite himself. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad? What's the harm anyway?

A distraction from his ever crumbling sense of moral sounded quite nice, truth be told. But he would never tell Vanessa that.

A/N Thank you for reading! Please please comment and leave a like or something if it so pleases you. I had a small idea for this: It being a modern AU (My FIRST ever alternate universe fanfic!), having Girolamo work at a library, and then eventually meeting a certain gorgeous someone ;) and so I had this idea- oh god I'm giving it all away, aren't I?

Well, before I accidentally spoil it all: adieu for now. I have a migraine myself, so I'm actually just barely holding on to write the A/N ...ow ow ow sorry I've gotta go now...

~Sensei

P.S. *I update more frequently on Wattpad for _all_ my stories since it's easier; Feran-Sensei there too if you want 3*


	2. The Renaissance Man

The rustling of pages filled the empty space of the library as Girolamo sorted through the library book slips, marking which ones were returned on time and which ones still needed to be checked back in. The sound of distant cars slightly rumbled against the walls of the silence filled building. Girolamo lost himself within the sorting, his mind filled with nothing more than books and what late afternoon coffee he should have after work.

Maybe just something dark or mocha...or a café latte?

The gentle dinging of the bell tied to the top of the door as it swung open pierced the silence and snapped Girolamo out of his thoughts. Shaking his head and not bothering to look to see who had entered, he finished up the sorting and began stacking the books into manageable piles. Grabbing one, he turned his back to the front desk and placed the finished books on the rack so that he could return them to their rightful shelves later. He turned around to grab another stack and almost jumped out of his skin.

"By God." He said quietly as to not disturb anyone, then clutched his frantic heart. Before him stood a man hardly an inch taller than himself wearing a pair of jeans and a white v-neck. Atop that he wore a loose denim jacket; his hair messily ruffled and his face unshaven.

"Uh, yes. Would you mind pointing me toward your anatomy books?" The man spoke somewhat rapidly, and Girolamo had to hesitate for a moment before answering.

"Anatomy?" He repeated. "Well, it would depend. The anatomy of a horse differs from the anatomy of a human, so the books are kept in slightly separate areas."

"Human." He spoke suddenly. "Anatomy of a human would do nicely." Girolamo smiled one of his plastered grins that he always saved for those visiting the library.

"Then you'll want human science. It's the second shelf from the last and you'll find anatomy towards the back in the bottom right hand corner." The man looked towards the shelves and without even thanking him, he hurried over to where he was instructed.

"Ungrateful cretin." He muttered when the man was gone, refocusing his attention back on his stack of books. Girolamo breathed out a sigh and began cataloging the books in the libraries online register. Not too long after sitting down before the computer, the man returned, several books beneath his arms. He looked way too excited for his own good. Girolamo stared at him.

"Birds?" He asked. Girolamo frowned.

"Excuse me?" He shook his head.

"You know, mammals that fly through the sky? The books on birds. Where are they kept?" Girolamo's brows creased.

"You do realize that there's a library catalog for a reason."

"Yes, but that takes too much time, and I've never been one for electronics. So the birds? Specifically birds of prey." Thinking for a moment, Girolamo recalled their exact location.

"It's the set of shelves before the other one you asked for under animal sciences. The right hand shelves are aquatic, so you'll want the left. Birds of prey are in the middle-the upper shelf-under the label, Accipitriformes." The strange man stared off into space, his fingers fidgeting as he remembered exactly where and which labels, then left quicker than he did the first time. Girolamo stared at the blank space that he left, dumbfounded. What was with him, anyway? There was indeed a library catalog, so why the hell did he have to bother him while he was working? He was a bloody nuisance, and that was all Girolamo needed...

"Girolamo," He heard Vanessa say suddenly. "Earth to Girolamo." Turning around he saw the girl-this time in regular clothing-staring at him. He cleared his throat.

"Yes?"

"You were starting to space out. Doing the booking?" She smiled.

"Yeah." He stared down at the keyboard.

"I'm surprised you haven't gotten it done yet. You're usually on top of things." Vanessa walked up behind him a placed a hand on his shoulder.

"About that...I was helping someone find some books." She giggled.

"I bet that didn't turn out so well." Girolamo scoffed.

"I'll have you know that I've memorized every single genre and their exact placement! I am more than capable of helping someone find a book or two." Crossing his arms, he smiled at the girl.

"Oh really? Is that so? Then I have no need to worry about you then." Grabbing the finished books that Girolamo had forgotten and putting them on the rack, Vanessa grinned at him. "And thank you, by the way. For the reading, that is." Girolamo looked back at the computer screen, typing in a few letters before replying.

"It's nothing."

"I know I asked you to dress up suddenly, but the kids really enjoyed it. Speaking of which..." Girolamo continued to punch in different letters and numbers, assigning each book a category and availability status, then putting it aside, all the while not really paying attention to Vanessa. "This Friday, I want to do another one, since they loved it so much, but this time it will be a beautiful story about a prince and his forbidden love!"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, sure." He said absentmindedly in reply, frowning when he accidentally put in the wrong numbers.

"Really? So you'll do it?" Vanessa was positively beaming at his answer. Girolamo, however, didn't seem to notice.

"Hmm." He hummed.

"Oh, thank you, Girolamo!" She kissed him on the cheek, causing him to look at her strangely. "I'll go and find the perfect princely costume for you!" She said as she skipped away.

"W-wait! Costumes again? Vaness-...she's gone." Girolamo sighed, taking the bridge of his nose in between his fingertips. What had he gotten himself into?

By the time the library was closing, the sun had just barely started it's trek back over the horizon, the days being shorter since it was getting later in the year. Girolamo looked at his watch.

"Eight o'five." He groaned, stretching in his chair. It, like always, had been a pretty uneventful day. Well, besides the whole ordeal with Vanessa. Standing, Girolamo looked around for his wallet.

"Damn, where'd I put it?" Moving over books and stacks of paper cards, Girolamo suddenly realized that he'd left the house without it in his mad rush to get here. Sighing, he grabbed his keys and groped about how he couldn't get his coffee without his money.

"I hope I don't get pulled over on my way home..." Walking around to make sure all of the library computers were off and that everything was in order, he did one last round to make sure everyone was gone. Checking each corner of the small building, he frowned when he came across the same dark haired man from earlier, hunched over a round table, surrounded by-God knew how many-books.

"Hey," He said to get his attention, but the man didn't turn around. Girolamo approached him with the full intention of making him put back every single book that he dragged out. When he got close enough to the table, Girolamo was surprised to see several sketchbooks open, drawings pouring out of them and all over the table amidst the clutter of books. It was a rather welcome feeling, but still, the library was closed.

"Hey," He tried again, this time grabbing the man's shoulder. He flinched hard, which cause Girolamo to retract his hand. "The library is closed." The man looked around wildly, and upon seeing no one else, he frowned.

"Already?"

"I'm afraid so." The man stood suddenly, grabbing up his sketchbooks and tucking them under his arm.

"Alright, well. I'll be going then." And before Girolamo could say anything, the man was quickly making his way to the door.

"Hey! Wait, come bac- and he's gone. Why does this feel like deja vu?" Girolamo ran a hand through his hair before turning towards the massive mounds of books that ranged from anatomy of a bird and the fundamentals of painting to history books and the construction of renaissance war machines. Certainly a wide variety of tastes, but that only meant he had to spend longer figuring out where they all went.

"Why is this my life? Always stuck with the dirty work..." With a sad frown, Girolamo took some of the books into his arms, wishing now more than ever that he'd at least brought his wallet.

A/N XD so Leo's in this one. We don't quite know that, but obviously it's Leo :3 I actually didn't quite like the filler-ish feeling that this has, but I hope it kicks off soon. Thanks for bearing with me so far, and hopefully I'm not making Girolamo too OOC -3-

Stay fabalous lovelies 3

~Sensei


	3. The Day After Tomorrow

Crickets chirped outside his bedroom widows, singing along with the whistling tone of the wind, and the myriad of tubular bells sounding when the small metal wind chime blew in the breeze. The dark veil of shadow was pierced only by the cool, yet blinding blue light of three numbers that read _3:24am._

Girolamo was still awake.

For yet another night he had failed to grasp slumber. Not that it bothered him anymore. Over time he had eventually become friends with the dampness of morning dew, and he was no stranger to the post apocalyptic silence that drown his neighborhood at this time of morning. If it weren't for the occasional bark of a dog, he would daresay that he were truly the only one left. Like in the story he'd read, _Z for Zachariah_ , or the less interesting ordinarily cliché plots about nuclear fallout. With a sigh, he removed his covers, breaking the vow he had made to himself about at least staying in bed even if he couldn't sleep. Wasting precious time that could otherwise be used for something productive was starting to rub him the wrong way.

Girolamo, in a matching set of long sleeved, crimson plaid night clothes, made his way into the living area of his modest apartment. A cold, death like chill floated in the still air, but he ignored it, walking toward the kitchenette. The frigidness of the hard wood floor caused him to walk on the balls of his unsocked feet while he opened the fridge in search of something to drink. Deciding on a glass of cold coffee from the carton, he pulled out a small glass and filled it halfway with ice then poured the thick, dark brown liquid into the cup. After filling it and putting the rest away, he walked back into the living room and sat on the couch with a sigh; he turned to the side and pulled his legs against his chest.

Having nothing better to do, he just sat in the silence, occasionally swirling his coffee around and then taking a small drink. The iced coffee, despite having been processed, possessed a strong scent that wafted up to his nostrils every now and then. It was quite soothing, and before he knew it, his eye lids started growing heavy, regardless of his caffeine intake.

His mind began to wander as he stared out one of the main room windows, the darkness seeming to go on forever as it danced in swirls of liquid black. He couldn't help but to find his thoughts drifting back to the man at the library.

His dark brown disheveled hair the colour of coffee grounds; his hazel eyes a rich concoction of intelect and placidity. Girolamo couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety play at his insides.

Who the hell was that guy, anyway? And just why did the mere thought of his stupid face and annoying hair and ridiculous stare with those impudent eyes-which Girolamo found in no way gorgeous whatsoever-make his stomach flip in knots?

"Whatever," he mumbled sleepily, then bent down to set his glass on the hardwood floor, and finally tucked his chin atop his clothed patellae, "He'll probably be gone the day after tomorrow anyway." And with that, Girolamo slipped into a light slumber.  
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" _'The day after tomorrow,'"_ Rubbing at his face with an exhausted sigh, Girolamo slouched at the front desk computer as he stared over at the maniac who was currently surrounded by towers of books, madly flipping through one, "Sure. Sure he will, Girolamo."

It had already started before he'd gotten there. Vanessa always opened on Fridays-much to Girolamo's disapproval-since she insisted he try to sleep, and so when he came in, there he was, hogging a table in the front nearer the desk: an oasis amongst words.

It had been longer than, _the day after tomorrow,_ and he was really starting to get on Girolamo's nerves.

Each day he came in, he always asked for a different section. Be it a how to book, informational texts about Knight Templars, or medical studies of the human brain, Girolamo ended up assisting him.

 _There's an online library catalogue, dammit!_

Girolamo groaned and sank his face into the palms of his hands as he tried to subdue his migraine.

It's not like he didn't want the man to come. No, it was a public library for a reason and that would be highly unreasonable and more than a bit selfish.

"Why can't he just _put away_ his books?" He whispered meekly, feeling the urge to cry from how badly he wanted to choke the man. Especially since, for the past few days, everytime he came, more books seemed to be dragged out.

 _He might as well just tear down all the shelves_

"Girolamo!" He let out an audible groan as her head Vanessa come bounding up to him. He knew it was probably about his promise to read to the kids today but, if he was being honest, he could really go without that today.

"Vanessa, look, I know I promised to read today but I-"

"No," She said almost sternly which made him frown up at her slightly worried, "It's not about that. Or, it is, but..."

"What happened?" He asked, watching as she looked down at her feet. The sight troubled him, seeing as Vanessa was always happy and chippy.

"The kids aren't coming today." She furrowed her brow as Girolamo stared up at her.

"Well, that's not something to look all down about," he sighed and relaxed in his chair, "We can always change the date. You had me worried for a moment."

"Well, yeah, but it's because one of the kids got really sick last night and they don't know why. They wouldn't tell me who, but I'm still worried." Girolamo frowned.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa. I'm sure it will be alright." He thought for a moment, and his eyes just happened to glance over at the strange man, still flipping through that same book, "I'll tell you what," he said, making up his mind as he looked up at her and laced his hands together in his lap, "When that kid gets well enough, I'll make sure to do the best reading I've done so far." Vanessa smiled at him and, despite the nagging sense of deppressed anxiety swirling in his stomach, Girolamo decided that he had no regrets.

"Costumes and all?" She asked with a sly grin, and Girolamo found himself smiling as well.

"Costumes and all." And for a final time, he glanced up at that strange man, not really knowing why.

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Crap I forgot the A/N

But anyway, my god. It's been like a year since I've written any of this O.O

Just, wow. And sorry omg xD

But I didn't abandon it! :D I don't really ever abandon a story. I just sort of let it collect dust for like a year and a half...or was it two years? Bah, who even knows.

But I hope you don't hate me too much I still have plans for this and it will get cute soon, I hope :D

Thank you for reading and stay lovely ~~


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